My favorite new (bite-sized) chocolate

I am such a chocolate person that I don’t understand how vanilla people exist.  Vanilla is a mistake. I like chocolate in all its forms though it’s probably no surprise I lean toward dark chocolate now. I’m not hardcore with the percentages; 85% is still too intense for my liking. However, sometimes dark chocolate that’s less than 70% is too sweet and too easy to overdo (the lower the percentage the higher the sugar). I tend to like a little flavor excitement with my chocolate. Mint, some spice, salt or even oddball flavors do it for me. I even fall for superfoods in my chocolate: matcha chocolate, reishi mushroom chocolate etc.

I found a new company that checks all my chocolate boxes.

Zenbunni, made in Venice California, isn’t just chocolate that I love; it’s chocolate made with love. Their mini or “microcosmic” bars contain organic, wild and foraged ingredients.

My two favorites for now are:

Lost Salt of Atlantis and Shiva Rose

We have a sweet giveaway and an assortment of Zenbunni minis coming your way provided you swear you’ve never chosen vanilla over chocolate. We also have a "bundle of love" with three terrific new sweets in the Foodtrainers' store.

Are you a chocolate person? What’s your favorite chocolate? Do you like your chocolate straight up or jazzed up?

To be Eligible

Tweet: The best chocolate in the world? @Foodtrainers has a @zenbunni #giveaway http://foodtrainers.blogspot.com/2016/02/my-favorite-new-bite-sized-chocolat.html 

and

Comment below

*Enter by midnight on Valentines Day

Chocolate Knight and Giveaways

Evolve Truffles, our #1 this year

I apologize. I know many loyal Foodtrainers’ blog readers are single and Valentines Day is especially annoying with the hearts, the love, the whole thing. I’m married so who am I to complain about the day of love, right? Monday, we sent out our February Chocolate Newsletter and I was in the office talking about the week’s schedule with Carolyn and up popped this on my screen.

I’m going to take the boys to the Rangers/Islanders game on the 14^th, is that Valentine’s Day? Have an extra ticket, let’s all go.

Let’s dissect. A loving father sees two New York hockey teams are playing each other next week. He plans to take his children and perhaps one of their friends to the game. He starts to enter it in his calendar and has a strange feeling something else is happening that day. He has four tickets and reasons that inviting his wife solves any potential conflict. Plus, in his male mind, is there really anything more Valentiney than Madison Square Garden, beer and beer? After many years together, I can totally laugh at this but let’s be clear I’m not going to the game. When I posted this on FB a friend suggested a spa night but I have a better idea. Chocolate Night. Let me tell you who’s invited.

Numi Chocolate Pu Erh Tea

Pu Erh tea is a fermented black tea that has been shown to improve weight loss.  Numi infuses their pu erh with cocoa taking "healthy chocolate" to a whole new level. And Numi wanted one of you to sip this tasty tea too, more on that below.

Evolve

These truffles are gluten free, soy free and dairy free. They are also low calorie with two approximately 100 calories but that’s not the whole story.  The co-creators of Evolve truffles started making them as an experiment and let me tell you, they are a home run. They are insanely delicious with flavors ranging from coconut to bacon (nitrate free, not to worry). If I were presented these as a gift, I would change my thoughts on Valentines day. Feeling unloved? Evolve has generously offered a $25 gift card for one of our readers.

Sun Warrior Chocolate Protein

I am a smoothieholic and this is one of my favorite ingredients. It's not your run of the mill protein powder. It’s raw, vegan and also non-GMO and soy free (very important when it comes to protein powders). I love to blend Sun Warrior with homemade almond milk, fresh mint, kale and avocado. Vitamix romance at its best.

Dark Chocolate Kind Bar

Perhaps you know about Kind bars but did you know a handful of their bars have less than 5 grams of sugar? I'm crushing on their Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Pecan bar. These treats may be the only reason to go to Starbucks.

Cocoa Pili Nuts

A client brought these back from a trip to Asia and I was swooning from the first bite. Pili nuts are super nutritious loaded with magnesium and omega 3s and taste similar to macadamias. To top it off they’re dusted with cocoa. No more boring almonds, these are are heavenly.

So, whether you’re single or married or somewhere in between, whether you love Love Day or hate it chocolate (good, dark, high quality) never lets you down. One lucky reader will receive a Chocolate Care Package with each of these treats. To enter comment below and tweet about chocolate love @Foodtrainers by Sunday February 10th.

 And get this. When I joked to the boys about the hockey game my younger son looked at me and said “I’m not going”. I asked why not and he said “I’m going to stay with you on Valentines Day". Love.

Are you a Valentines Day lover or hater? What will you do on Thursday?And what about chocolate? What’s your favorite healthy chocolate?

What if I told you sex could help you lose weight?

She's smiling because she just burned some calories, he's smiling...well you know.

Everyone has certain holidays they like more than others; Valentines Day isn’t one I particularly care for. Rather than talking about aphrodisiac foods and romance, I thought why beat around the bush (hmn wonder where that expression really came from); let’s talk about sex and weight. How does weight impact sex and sex impact weight? And what about exercise, does it give you a release or make you want additional “releasing”? For goodness sake, if I can write about bowel movements I should be able to discuss anything.

Fat and Sex

Being overweight can negatively affect libido. A study from Duke found that 30% of obese people seeking to control weight reported problems with sex drive, desire, performance or the trifecta, all three. One issue is the more fat you have the higher the levels of SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin). This hormone caper binds to testosterone. Dr Andrew McCullough director of sexual health and male infertility at NYU explains that high cholesterol and insulin resistance can also affect sexual performance. Both conditions affect arteries and can cause “tiny arteries in the penis to shut down, particularly when vessel-clogging fatty deposits begin to form.” I cannot imagine the impact to cardiovascular health if, instead of talking about cholesterol meds and heart health, physicians told men their penises would shut down. For the record, it’s not just men. “We are beginning to see that the width of blood vessels leading to the clitoris are affected by the same kind of blockages that impact blood flow to the penis.” The female facts were supplied by Dr Susan Kellogg of the Pelvic and Sexual Health Institute in Philly. The good news (or bad news depending) is that weight loss, in as little as eight weeks improved sexual markers substantially.

Sex and Weight Loss

If men would listen up if faced with a penile shut down, you say weight loss and I promise have a woman’s attention. I learned that kissing for an hour burns 68 calories but that’s not all that exciting. Sixty-eight calories isn’t even a snack and AN HOUR? I’m a busy lady. Sex on the other hand has a 200-ish per half hour calorie burn. Of course, without getting technical, as with any exercise intensity matters. Bystanders don’t burn as much. I’m not suggesting you wear your heart rate monitor (how sexy) but you may as well really go for it.  I’m not sure if it adds credibility but there was actually a book published on this subject  The Ultimate Sex Diet promoting the potential for weight loss via sex  (oh yeah and healthy eating too). This is probably best for those in a relationship because nobody wants to lose weight and gain gonorrhea. Husbands out there I suggest you use this information to your advantage. As I said, “not tonight I have a headache” could quickly be turned around with this valuable info.  Just be careful “honey, you need to lose weight and this could help” isn’t going to get you anywhere.

Exercise and Sex

For a variety of reasons exercise improves sex drive. Adrenaline energizes you, endorphins leave you feeling good and feeling fit can improve confidence and self esteem. Interestingly, yoga gets a lot of votes for the best exercise for improving your sex drive. Instead of theorizing about yoga and sex I’ll simply include this passage:

Yoga also improves flexibility making for creative positions such as splits and straddles.  Other benefits of yoga include an increase in blood flow to your pelvis which heightens sensitivity and increases desire. And yoga strengthens the pelvic floor which makes for stronger contractions and a more intense orgasm.  Yoga also clears your mind for a deeper understanding of you and your partner’s needs and desires.

Enough said. I’m a nutritionist not a sexpert.

Have you ever considered the calorie burning potential of sex? Would you have sex more because of this? Where do you stand on Valentines Day?

You have until midnight 2/14 to enter our chocolate giveaway.